Fallout: Wanderer
by Lee Sharpe
Summary: For these members of Vault 23, the Earth is a new frontier waiting to be explored. Chapter 3 now up. NOT INTENDED FOR CHILDREN.
1. Prologue

            The girl peered over the sill of the ruined window into the street below. She could see the two soldiers in their power armour, looking huge and invincible, far below her. How she hated them. Them, in their shiny suits, feeling safe from everything around them. They weren't. 

            They had captured a member of her cell, and had him bound and kneeling in the street. One of their observer droids was close by, recording all the action. It was probably going to run on all the major holo channels later that night. Executions were always big news. They made the people back home feel that they were winning the war. They weren't.

            One of the soldiers, the one wearing commander colours, waved to the camera, and played the part of the ringmaster. He stood behind the girl's cell member, who stared defiantly at the camera, refusing to bow his head, even in the face of his own death. He could not be broken now. He would not allow himself to be broken. He would not give them the pleasure of seeing him weep. 

            All this while, the commander had been rattling off the standard pre-execution speech, talking about how what he was about to do was not done by him, but by the country, for the protection of the countries people. Finally, he was finished. He reached for the small blaster pistol at his side, the customary weapon of choice for the execution of a resistance member…

            Pop.

            With the sound of a balloon popping, two holes appeared almost simultaneously on either side of the commander's helmet, the hole on the left appearing to spray red paint. The commander's knees gave way, and he hit the ground hard, never to rise again.

            To his credit, the other soldier knew what was coming next, knew that he couldn't do anything to prevent it from happening, and thus decided to take the captured resistance member to the grave with him. With reflexes trained by countless drills, drugs, and nano enhancements, he raised his heavy blaster rifle by his side, and-

            Pop pop.

            The first shot nailed the blaster rifle squarely on the barrel, throwing it off just enough that the shot squeezed off by the soldier went wild and melted the blacktop less then a foot to the left of the still-kneeling resistance member. The second ensured that the commander would not be buried alone. 

            Bounding down the stairs to the ground level, her modified hunting rifle slung over her shoulder, the girl was pleased. She had long ago learned that the only way to kill a soldier in power armour, the only place on them where their armour was thin enough to allow a bullet to pass through, was where their ears were. An amazingly difficult shot, yes, but she could make it. Death is an excellent motivator. 

            Her compatriot was still kneeling in the street when she got to him, waiting for her to untie his bonds. Without a word, she freed him, and helped him to his feet. Leaning on her shoulder for support, even though she was a good foot shorter then he, he staggered to the burned-out hulk of an old car to rest and regain his balance. Giving him her canteen to refresh himself with, she turned her attention to the watching observer droid. 

            It hovered there quietly, a soft hum and small red light beside its lens the only indication that it was still recording; the only indication that someone was still on the other end of its transmission, watching her. Probably sending a full squad to capture them both. It didn't matter. They'd both be gone in a few minutes, and the soldiers had yet to find out how the resistance members could disappear so quickly. She didn't think today would be the day that they figured it out.

            She stared into the lens for what seemed like years. All of her rage, her hate, her anger, her pain, poured out of her eyes and into the lens. She wanted to make the soldier on the other end stiffen with fear at the sight of her. She wanted him to know that she hated him for what he'd done to her family, her home, her country. She decided that if the commander could be a showman, then so could she.

            "Welcome to Canada, you Yankee fucks." she said, just before she raised the butt of her rifle and smashed the lens of the camera in. Having lost its eye, the droid turned about in mid air and sped towards its home in the American base downtown, near where the old Vancouver City Hall used to be. It wasn't there anymore. The Americans has bombed and leveled the area for use as their major west coast base. Through it, they controlled north to the border of Alaska and the Yukon, both now held by the Canadian-friendly Chinese government, and east to the Okanogan valley, where they were unable to traverse the mountain passes through to the Elk Valley because of fanatical and skilled Canadian resistance members. 

            Things were not going as easily as the Americans had hoped. Fighting major wars on two fronts, with the Chinese Empire and the newly-revived USSR, as well as fending off guerrilla attacks by merciless Canadian troops, was taking a heavy toll on the few resources the Americans had left. 

             "Come on," the girl said to the man, "we have to get these bodies down below before the rest of them show up." She'd grabbed the dead soldier underneath his arms, and was dragging him towards the manhole cover that led down to the sewer, and, below that, the resistance bases. She'd turned to the cover itself, and begun to pry it loose with the crowbar she kept strapped to her backpack, when she heard the man take a sharp breath.

            She turned, and saw a great light coming from downtown. A light so bright that it blinded her the moment she looked at it, yet she didn't know it. A light so bright she knew instantly what it was, and what was about to happen to her.

            "Thank God…it's finally over." was the girl's last thought, as the heat and shock wave that follows a thermonuclear explosion tore her body apart.

----------------------------

            War. 

            War never changes. 

            The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth. Spain built an empire from its lust for gold and territory. Hitler shaped a battered Germany into an economic superpower.

            But war never changes.

            In the 21st century, war was still waged over the resources that could be acquired. Only this time, the spoils of war were also its weapons; petroleum and uranium. For these resources, China would invade Alaska, the United States would annex Canada, and the European Union would dissolve into quarreling, bickering nation-states, bent on controlling the last remaining resources on Earth.

            In 2077, the storm of world war had come again. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders. And from the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization would struggle to arise.

            A few were able to reach the relative safety of the large underground Vaults. Imprisoned safely behind the large Vault door, under a mountain of stone, a generation has lived without knowledge of the outside world.

            Life in the Vault is about to change. 


	2. Vault Fever

Chapter 1: Vault Fever

            My eyes are wide open and unmoving. They focus exclusively on the ceiling above my head. Specifically, the electrical cable that runs along the roof for the entire length of my room. 

            My ears are alert and waiting for the slightest noise to tell me about what I already know is coming. I keep my breathing deep and even, as though I were still asleep. Waiting…waiting….NOW!!

            I sprang from my bed as though I were on fire, crossed the length of my room in a smooth judo roll, rose to my feet in one fluid motion, and tagged the 'SNOOZE' button on my chronometer before the first shrill note of the buzzer could finish. 

            Another victory in the battle of life. 

            I smiled in spite of myself, pleased at besting the clock once again. No point in going back to sleep now though, I knew. The barracks inspector would be along soon with his huge copper bell, hoping to catch some student trying to sleep through first class. 

That man needs a real job.

            I'm a student at V23. That's Vault 23 for you muties who live up top. Yup, I'm a Vault dweller, though I don't particularly want to be one anymore. I've lived in V23 for all my 19 years. That's 6935 days. 166,440 hours. 9,986,400 minutes. To be blunt, too bloody long. It's been at least 20 years since the war that the old folks take every opportunity they have to tell us about happened. Actually, it's been a lot longer than that. My parents were just children themselves when they moved into V23. No one is sure just how long though. Awhile. 

            Anyhow, a lot of people my age say that it's time to open the Door and go up top again. Me? I think it wouldn't be a bad thing, no. I also don't think that people should be forced up top if they don't want to go. People like my parents and their friends have lived in V23 for a long time. They've made their lives here. Why would they want to leave?

            I want to, though. I want to see what the sky looks like now. I've seen it before, in old holovids, but I've never actually seen it, you know? I want to touch real earth. The Earth. Sounds stupid, I know, but I can't stay in here anymore. Grow, mate, spawn, die. That's what'll happen to me if I stay in the Vault. I know it. 

            I've got to get to class now, 'for Leatherface takes attendance and sends the barracks inspector to wake me up. Don't know why I've started this journal. It's not like anyone is ever going to read it.

Signed,

Tarran Lee

76th day, 3rd Quarter, 43 V23C (Vault 23 Calendar)

----------------------------

            After the morning exercises, the students who were in their final year of schooling filed into their required old-Earth electronics class, taught by Vault 23's oldest resident, Larry 'Leatherface' Bodokin. Face, as he was known to most everyone when his back was turned, took his duties as instructor very seriously; so seriously that it was thought he hadn't yet died and gone into the recycling vats because he didn't trust anyone to take over his duties.  

            The quiet hum of conversation that had surrounded the students like a cloud of vapor died completely as they set foot inside Face's classroom. Regardless of what the students thought of him as a person, they accorded him respect while in his classroom.

            Taking their seats, the students brought up their personal holo-screens and accessed the homework that Face had previously assigned to them; they then transferred their work to his main holo-screen, which took up the entire front wall, for marking. Almost instantly, a near-collective groan went up from the class as they got their marks back from Face's marking program. 

            "Now then, ladies and gentlemen, I told you this was a tricky assignment…hardly my fault if your ears didn't hear me…maybe you should be going to the sickbay for a check-up, hmmmm?" Face admonished the class, moving sprightly for a man of unknown, but assuredly ancient, age. He spoke while accessing the day's lesson on his holo-screen.

             "Now then, most of you will be finished your schooling in the next few weeks. From there, you will move on to various departments in the Vault; Health, Recreation, Justice, Agriculture, and so on. I encourage you to consider a life with the Advancement Department; the pay is lousy, but the hours are good." This was a small joke from Face; no one in the Vault was paid, strictly speaking. Everyone worked according to what they were able to contribute, and everyone was entitled to an equal portion of the fruits of that work. This ensured that there were no homeless or poor families in the Vault. Innovation was encouraged, however. Any Vault Dweller who had an idea of how things should be done, or a service that they would like to provide to the rest of the Vault, was encouraged to speak at one of the monthly Vault meetings.

            "With the Advancement Department," Face continued, now speaking to the class in his customary fashion; that is to say, pacing back and forth slowly, forcing the class' eyes to follow him, and using his hands to emphasize what he was saying, "you will have the greatest opportunity to contribute something new to the Vault. We are, literally, a group of people who do nothing but think all day. Ideas are our trade, and their successful implementation our profit. If you're interested, come and talk to me at the end of class. And now…"

            While Face began the day's lecture, Tarran Lee, Marc Chapoutier, and Cory Shimit played a three-way game of Mutie Hunter, blasting each other to atoms with various weapons of personal destruction. All three already knew what Face was going to be discussing; Marc had tapped into Face's holo-screen three weeks previous to find out what would be discussed and assigned so that the three friends would be able to have their last few weeks together relatively work-free. 

            "You just drank a glass of my dripping green load, my new Mutie bitch." Cory silent messaged Lee, who'd just been blasted out of existence by Cory's radioactive waste launcher. By keeping the sound from their game routed to their headphones, the three managed to avoid detection by Face.

            Flushing with good-natured anger, Lee silently vowed revenge and respawned into the game. Deciding to be particularly vicious with his friend, Lee went for the 'chainsaw' located in a remote area of the game level. The 'chainsaw' had been added to the game's substantial arsenal by members of the Advancement Department, after someone had read about the device in the Vault's library. It had been generally agreed by those in the Vault that it was a particularly nasty weapon, which made it perfect for Mutie Hunters.

            Chainsaw in virtual hand, Lee made his way towards the sounds of battle, where he found Cory and Marc taking potshots at one another across a large chamber. Neither one of them had yet seen him, so he decided to try something a little fancy. As Cory was holed up on the other side of the chamber, there would be little chance of a mad rush working. Either Cory would nail Lee with his waste gun, or Marc would take the frag with his energy-based atomitizer, a popular weapon during WWIII, according to the little history that there was of it. 

            Running down a hallway parallel to Cory's position, Lee found what he was looking for; a staircase leading to a balcony directly above where Cory was defending himself from Marc's energy blasts. Looking down over the balcony's railing, Lee could see the top of Marc's virtual head. Through the personal character modeling offered by the Advancement Department, Cory's virtual self looked exactly like his real self; actually, his virtual self was a little more bulked up, but not according to Cory. 

            Lee leapt from the balcony's railing and landed behind Cory with a small thud. The sound wasn't loud enough to attract Cory's attentions, so Lee decided the best way to get him to turn around before being mauled was to outright tell him.

            "Hey, Slughead. Turn around." Lee typed to his friend. He allowed Cory's character to turn around fully, just to be sure he could see what was coming, and then sliced his body in two at the waist. 

            As Cory's corpse hit the virtual tile floor, his blood spraying everything around him, Lee noticed something odd. Applause. 

            "I didn't know you'd get applause after fragging someone with the chainsaw…" Lee though, before the truth dawned on him. 

            Looking up at the main holo-screen at the front of the room, Lee saw the same image as was on his holo-screen. Cory's various innards were slowly sliding out even as his corpse dissolved as he respawned on a different portion of the level. The applause was coming from his fellow students, and, not surprisingly, Face himself too. He had an odd sense of humour. 

            "Excellent frag, Mr.Lee. Mr.Shimit, you should learn to watch your back. Do you gentlemen think I could possibly borrow you for just a few moments after class?"

--------------------------------

            After the day's classes, and after their meeting with Leatherface, Lee, Marc, and Cory were walking back to barracks hurriedly.

            "You think this meeting will be crashed by the JD too?" Marc asked anxiously. The meeting he was talking about was that of the New Earthers, a group of Vault Dwellers who wanted to leave the Vault and explore the planet. They had been meeting publicly for several months now, but it was only recently, when they started to get fully organized, that the Justice Department forced them to disperse whenever they met. Their ideas were seen as harmful to the Vault.

            "Without a doubt. We've been telling everyone where this one will be, so there's no way that information hasn't gotten back to the JD. Hell, they probably knew where the meeting would be before we did." Cory was the most outspoken of the three of them in wanting to leave the Vault. He'd started raging debates many times, in many different classes, about why they should be allowed to leave the Vault. "I'm looking forward to their company tonight. Perhaps I can convince some of them to see the error of their ways."

            Lee knew what that meant. "Come on now, Slug, don't be pulling any of that. We don't want to get in any trouble. Peaceful protest isn't illegal; beating JDs is."

            Before Cory could open his mouth to explain how Lee had misunderstood him once again, Marc spoke up. "I'll meet you guys down there. There's something I need to grab from my room." With that, he turned down the hall to his living quarters and shot away quickly.

            They walked together in silence for some time. They'd been friends since they were children, and didn't need to speak to understand one another most of the time. 

            "Think it'll really come to that?" asked Lee quietly.

            For the longest time, Cory said nothing. They just walked together, enjoying the silence of their own thoughts, and the soft hum of Vault machinery in the walls around them. The Vault provided for them. It sheltered them. It protected them from the harsh world they both knew existed outside. They weren't naïve. 

            It also imprisoned them. 

            "Yes." Cory said finally, softly. He was large for a Vault Dweller, and strong, but that didn't make him stupid. In strength of character and convictions, there were few who could match him, let alone outdo him.

            "I don't think they'll ever let us leave. If we leave, the Vault will become a tomb. We're supposed to be the ones who take care of it when our parents die. Without us here, when our parents die, the Vault will too."

            Cory turned to Lee, his frame towering over his slighter friend, red curly hair gathered above his pale green eyes like a gathering storm. Lee matched his gaze, his blue eyes unblinking, raven-black hair swept to the side. 

            "I want out of here, Lee. I'll fight for it, if I have to. If they make me have to." Cory said, even softer then before. In the Vault, you never knew who was listening.

            "Let's just hope it doesn't come to that." Lee said, knowing that his friend's hair wasn't the only gathering storm in their future.


	3. A Rift Forms

Chapter 2: The Dividing Rift

            On the surface, Vault 23 looks like an ideal place to live. In most respects, it is. Computers control the circulation and filtration of air and water, keeping both pure and flowing. Huge hydroponics labs ensure that the Vault has an always-ready supply of fresh, organically-grown fruits and vegetables. Because there is no room for stock, everyone in the Vault is a vegetarian, and daily morning exercises ensure that everyone in the Vault remains healthy. Should an accident occur, however, V23 houses a fully functional operating bay that is completely automated and nearly infallible. Everyone in the Vault has access to the Vault's computer systems and library, so the possibilities for educating oneself are limitless. 

            Vault 23 is an idyllic paradise. A bountiful oasis in a sea of sand. It is humanities second shot at Eden. It is perfect.

            It is ruled by an iron fist in a velvet glove.

            When people first began to flood V23, so many years ago, there was little strife between them. Canadians, Americans, Chinese, Russians, Soviets. Everyone in the Vault was there for, more or less, the same reason; to avoid the War. Some were draft dodgers with money. Some were politicians who knew the right people. Some were just lucky. 

            After contact with the outside was lost, it didn't take long for the Vault Dwellers to start bickering amongst themselves. The Americans had destroyed the world. The Soviets had fired first. Canadian freedom fighters had gotten their hands on a warhead, and used it. The Chinese orchestrated the entire thing.

            No one actually knew who's fault it was. Everyone, however, knew that their country was not at fault. These bickerings over who had done what quickly led to power struggles between inter-Vault factions; during this time, there were more then a few tragic accidents.  

            Even now, the silent war continues in the meeting rooms and dark corners of V23. Some members of Tarran Lee's class have already chosen their allegiances. Most, however, simply want out of the Vault. Their 'faction' is the youngest in the Vault, and the most idealistic. 

            They are the New Earthers.

-------------------------

            People filed into Exercise Hall 4 quietly, stoically. As though they were going to the funeral of someone close to them, rather then a meeting to help them take their futures' in their own hands. This was the site of the 9th Meeting of the New Earthers, held on the 76th day, 3rd Quarter, 43 V23C. 

            The hall was filled mostly with students, though, peppered here and there, were older Vault Dwellers. These were people who'd always wanted out of the Vault, but there had never been enough of them to have a loud enough voice in the Vault to make a difference. Until now. 

            Hundreds filled the hall, and more kept coming. They sat on the floor, leaned against the walls, and stood when they had to. They all wore the same expression; one of determination, of strength, of conviction. They looked ready to fight long and hard, and heaven help whoever stood against them.

            One of the older women strode to the front of the room, and turned to face the hundreds that waited for her to speak. A small chip stuck to the collar of her shirt allowed her to speak normally while ensuring that everyone around the hall could hear her clearly. If the huge, obviously passionate group in front of her intimidated her in the slightest, she did not show it. 

            She took her time. She looked over the entire crowd, locking eyes with as many people as she could. To those who she was close with, she gave a small nod. To those that she simply knew, like Tarran, Marc, and Cory, she simply locked eyes with, and drank in their resolve. She used the crowd's barely-contained electricity to fuel herself, her conviction, her strength. Together, she knew, they could leave V23 and build a new life. A new world.

            "I now call this meeting of the New Earthers to order." she said quietly, reservedly. There was really no need for this order; no one in the hall was making a sound. Some weren't even breathing.

            "I would like to thank you all for coming. I know that now, more then ever, it is difficult, even dangerous, to meet like this. I imagine that the Justice Department will be along shortly to disperse this 'Unsanctioned Assembly', so we must be quick. This is a great time for us. Never before has their been so many New Earthers, so many people to speak with one resounding voice, so many people to carry one powerful message; set us free. Allow us to leave the Vault, to explore the world as we please, to live our own lives. With this voice, with this message, I feel that the time has come to once again go to the Vault Council and petition them to open the doors." This had been tried before, on several separate occasions. Always, the outcome had been the same. The Council had ruled that no one was to leave the Vault, that the outside world was still too dangerous. Some argued that how could the Council know these things if they had not been outside? Those people were called radicals. 

            "I know that not all of you agree with this method of gaining freedom. I know that some of you think that we should simply leave, and that those who try to stop us should be trampled underfoot." She spoke now of recent events; fights had broken out between some of the more outspoken New Earthers and other faction members who did not share their views. Cory had been involved in more then a few. No one had been too seriously hurt thus far, but tensions were rising. 

            "However," she continued, beginning to walk to the side of the hall, her slacks whispering as she walked, "this is not the enlightened way to freedom. We are humans, not animals. We are not as our ancestors. We do not fight because of our opposing beliefs. We will get what we want by talking to others, convincing them why we deserve the right to choose our own destinies."

            Tarran could feel Cory stiffen beside him as she spoke, forcing himself to be silent. Both Tarran and Marc knew exactly how Cory felt on this subject, because they had both gotten into and out of fights with him over it; he believed that anyone who tried to stop them from leaving the Vault was trying to keep them imprisoned, and thus, was an enemy. Cory wasn't afraid to fight to leave the Vault. Cory wanted to fight.

            The wall of the exercise hall shimmered and turned a deep blue as the holo-screen that was built into the wall was activated. A list of names quickly filled the wall and began scrolling down.

            "On this petition there are the signatures of five hundred and forty three people. That is just slightly over one fifth of the total population of the Vault. Each and every one of these people wants out of V23. This is something that the Council cannot ignore. This is why I ask those of you who may be prone to allowing your emotions get the better of you to be patient for just a few days more, for in three days, I will take this petition before the Council and secure our freedom!"

            Applause filled the hall like water, the audience finally breaking their absolute silence with a tidal wave of sound. The high ceiling of the hall reflected and amplified the sound, ensuring that the Justice Department's enforcers had no trouble finding the meeting. Not to say that finding a crowd of several hundred is a difficult task.

            "Attention! Attention! The ruling Vault Council of Vault 23 has declared this to be an Unsanctioned Assembly! You are all hereby ordered to disperse and return to your duties or quarters! Failure to comply with this order will result in your immediate arrest!" one of the JD's announced with his own collar chip, his words drowning out the applause and stifling it like a constrictor snake does a mouse. His (Or her. The JD's black face masks and heavy body armour made telling the identity or gender of their wearers impossible.) companions lined up on either side of him in a grand show of force. There were at least a dozen of them in the hall, lined up against the back wall, with more visible in the hallway beyond. Their shatterproof riot shields were linked together, their shock batons at the ready.

            "No!" cried out one New Earther, rising to her feet in defiance. "You are NOT going to push us around anymore! We have a right to meet like this, and you can't stop us! We're not hurting anyone!" She looked to those surrounding her for support, and they gave it to her. Several stood with her and started clapping again, while the rest of the audience took their cue from her and renewed their applause with greater vigor.

            "Strange I haven't noticed her at any of the other meetings…" Lee though for a second, distracted by the girl's striking features; raven black hair cascading down a slim back, ivory white skin set off by vibrant green eyes and a blue and gold jumpsuit. Lee had little time to appreciate her, however, as Cory took this resurgence of passion from the crowd to leap to his feet.

            "Damn rights! We're not leaving 'till we've finished our meeting, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it! In case you haven't noticed, there're a lot of us and very few of you, so maybe you should get out of here before you get hurt!" Cory roared at the JDs, his words striking a cord with many New Earthers in the Hall. Even more people stood to support him and to show their disdain for the JDs.

            "Oh shit. This isn't going well." Lee though to himself. Always before, when the JDs had shut down their meetings, there had been some grumbling, but nothing like this. Making eye contact with Marc, Lee slowly stood up with his friend. Sighing heavily, Marc stood with them and turned to face the JDs, who were starting to shift and fidget uneasily. They had never dealt with such a large crowd before, and were acutely aware of how badly they were outnumbered. Even if every JD in the Vault, volunteer and regular, came to their aid, they would still be outnumbered three-to-one. 

            "I say again, anyone who refuses to comply with the order set down by the ruling Vault Council will be arrested! Now, disperse!" shouted the commanding JD, who wasn't moving an inch. 

            The crowd was on its collective feet now. Everyone was standing, shouting, swearing, sweating. A cacophony of sound filled the audience hall like thunder, drowning out all rational thoughts in the hall. All but one, that is. 

            "Someone's going to die in here." Lee thought, looking at the faces around him. In them, he saw all the pent up frustration and rage that the New Earthers had towards the Vault. All of which they wanted to take out on the Vault. Right now, the JDs were the Vault. 

            The commanding enforcer had had enough. He grabbed a nearby protester and threw him into the waiting arms of his officers, who threw him to the ground to bind him with restraining strips. While the commander had his back turned, three of the protester's friends jumped on his back and bore him to the ground, where they began pummeling him with their fists. Another protester took this opportunity to step forward and kick the commander viciously in his helmet. This action was met with a jab from a shock prod that dropped the protester to the floor. And then the gates of hell opened up as over five hundred enraged youths rushed the only symbols of authority within striking distance.

            "I hope it's not anyone I know." was Lee's last clear though before he joined the mob.


End file.
